Acne Magazine : Skin Care, Tips, Treatment Reviews

I received this question from a woman about using a rosacea product because she is pregnant.  Of course, I’ve kept this anonymous to protect privacy, but thought this answer may benefit some others potentially, although I did ultimately have to defer to the company to answer for sure. 

Question :

hello, my name is XXXXXX, I’m interested in zenmed acne rosacea kit for dry skin. i would like to try it, but just cant find information- if it’s safe for pregnant women?. or it’s better to wait whil baby is born and then buy it?

thankyou

I would be very happy to get answer

Answer :

Hello XXXXXX.  Unfortunately I do not know enough about the product (besides that it does work well for many people as a natural alternative to rosacea skin problems, it is very soothing and helps take the red out), to tell you whether pregnant women can use it. 

I have not read anywhere on the indications for the product for pregnant woman to not use it, however, I’ve included a link for you to go to their website and contact them to ask them directly about this issue.  Here it is Zenmed Rosacea .

Good luck if you do decided to go with this natural line of products.  Also remember that drinking fresh squeezed lemon juice in your water can help with inflammation problems in the skin (I also recommend this for those with acne, since both acne and rosacea are thought to be inflammatory skin problems).  I drink lemon in my water and find that it helps my skin stay much “calmer”. 

Again, good luck! 

Rosacea and acne rosacea go hand in hand, one is the skin disorder that flushes the skin (rosacea) and acne is the one we all know and love (not), which pits our face with permanent scars, and mars a many times gorgeous, flawless complexion with the drop of a hat or a little PMS (for guys, stress’ll do the trick).

Those with rosacea and acne rosacea (which is the combination of acne and rosacea together), there are many triggers that are readily available around the holidays that one must be careful to avoid if possible.  The first is alcohol.  There are lots of alcoholic drinks to be consumed during the holidays, including wine. 

Wine may not be so bad for some, but the really bad part of wine is supposed to be wines that contain sulfites.  Since most wines contain sulfites, you may want to stear clear of wines and go for only organic and sulfite free and see if that doesn’t flush the face first.  Alcohol in general is bad for rosacea and acne rosacea, and in fact, isn’t all that great for just plain old acne either, so try to limit the alcoholic intake during the holidays if you can. 

Another trigger is hot drinks such as hot cider, hot chocolate and hot egg nog.  Hot drinks are one of the most notorious triggers of rosacea, and it is thought that this is because they dilate the capillaries and tiny vessels in the face that cause the flushing.  Anything that will aggravate this should be avoided. 

And finally stress may also be a trigger and should be avoided, and we all know that no matter how wonderful this season is, there are many stressors around every corner, from buying gifts for everyone under the sun to family gatherings.  Any little bit helps, so if you can avoid the common triggers for rosacea and acne rosacea skin care during the holidays, you’re getting a good jump start on prevention! 

Recently in the news, I was reading how experts think they may have unearthed the reasons for the occurrence and progression of a common skin problem in those that are fair complected (mostly of celtic origin and european origin).  That skin ailment is called rosacea, and we have talked a little about rosacea here on Acnemagazine.com because of it’s close cousin acne rosacea, which is essentially a combination of acne vulgaris and rosacea, where the skin flushes red for no apparent reason (although there are common triggers for it).

Until now, experts were baffled as to the exact reasons behind rosacea, as far as an actual biological reason for the skin problem, but now they think they may have found new clues as to its existence.  They think they have found the behind-the-scenes mechanism that actually causes rosace in other words, which may lead to the ultimate defeat of the skin condition. 

Here’s where it gets interesting.  They think they found that the over production of two different types of proteins actually cause the symptoms that lead to rosacea – the flushed skin appearance and the inflammatory properties that produce broken blood vessels.  The proteins that are produced in excess, are, in fact inflammatory proteins and may even be a lending cause to acne for all we know.  Inflammation if the key cause behind several skin ailments such as acne and rosacea, and must be looked at as a common thread between aging skin, acne, rosacea and any other number of inflammation-types of skin disorders. 

Antibiotics have been used to treat rosacea in the past with the thought that it was bacterial in nature somehow (antibiotics, long term are something I adamantly oppose, due to it’s possible links to breast cancer in women as well as candida infections that are very hard to get rid of in people with long term antibiotic use).  This new finding for rosacea, however, suggests that rosacea and acne rosacea is not at all bacterial in nature, but rather is a problem of over production of a peptide that plays a role. 

If they can figure out how to control this production via medication that is reasonably safe in other ways, then this could be the new wave of rosacea and acne rosacea treatment for all we know.  It sounds like it may in the early stages, but these days products and medications make it to market a bit quicker. 

Acne rosacea is a complexion disorder that effects adults, not just teenagers. Rosacea is a redness in the middle of the face and it is caused by tiny blood vessels that become enlarged. Rosacea may occur just by itself, with the redness, or it may occur with pimples and blackheads, and then it is called acne rosacea.Treatments for rosacea may be either topical or taken by mouth or a combination of the two. Some physicians will prescribe Retin-A and some will prescribe cortisone creams for topical use. Orally, antibiotics such as tetracycline can be prescribed for controlling acne rosacea. Another mode of treatment prescribed by doctors is Accutane.

Another topical treatment is Noredol skin care gel that reduces the redness associated with rosacea. One of the primary ingredients in Noredol are compounds derived from mint leaves.

Zenmed masks, creams and sprays are more topical solutions for use in controlling rosacea. Zenmed features skin support systems designed to suit different skin types, oily to dry, and you choose which is right for you. Zenmed’s skin support systems for rosacea and acne rosacea work via natural anti- inflammatory, natural antibiotic and collagen boosting ingredients to control symptoms of rosacea.

xxxxx (sorry ,the name of the company has been removed per their copywrite department request)  is also a topical group of products to control acne rosacea. It is a three step system that starts with a renewing cleanser with benzoyl peroxide. The second step of the  system is their revitalizing toner that stops the clogging of pores. For the third step, you apply the xxxxxxx repairing lotion to hydrate your skin.

Rosacea can effect the eyes and often people with this disorder will complain of a grittiness to their eyes. Rosacea may, over time, effect the nose and give it a bulbous appearance. While there’s not an absolute cure, there are effective treatments to control it.

Rosace and acne rosacea are often a very difficult-to-treat skin condition that is easily aggravated by certain things, even certain foods and life circumstances, and so it must be carefully controlled or else it can make the face appear very red, flushed, and also can be extremely inflamed and have acne lesions if you happen to have acne rosacea, which is acne postules combined with rosacea. 

Rosacea is a skin disorder often present in those of European descent, for reasons not entirely understood, by hypothetically because European skin is much more fair and tends to be sensitive to a larger variety of environmental factors than, say, someone with a darker complexion.

I wanted to talk about a newer product from a line that we often talk about, Zenmed, which is an organic and all natural line of skin care.  It’s a skin supplement, and many people with rosacea are reporting very nice results after using this supplement for a while.  It basically contains a lot of ingredients that help with inflammation as well as help strengthen the skin from the inside to provide a greater appearance on the outside, and reduce the redness and inflammation that is hallmark of the rossace skin condition. 

There aren’t really too many natural supplements geared toward rosacea, but there are a lot of dermatological treatments that are given for rosacea, including a combination of different antibiotics and also various forms of light therapy are used to help reduce the redness as well as help to shrink the enlarged capillaries that are responsible for the look of rosacea, which is a essentially a flushed look during periods of irritation. 

But who wants to remain on antibiotics indefinitely?  Especially with antibiotic resistence, and now new evidence suggesting that prolonged use of different antibiotics can actually be linked to breast cancer.  That’s scary enough to seek out natural rosacea and acne rosacea treatment alternatives, for sure. 

 

I’ve written before several times about how caffeine and other stimulants can have adverse effects on the skin, including triggering acne breakouts and even triggering redness and flushing in those with rosacea and acne rosacea.  Well, here’s just another case where I think it’s true in some people’s case, especially those that have skin that is super sensitive to stimulants and very much dependent on diet (like mine for example). 

Well, I recently moved and I needed all the energy I could get, so I resorted to something that is a huge no-no for my skin, energy drinks.  To be specific, the energy drink “Diet Rock Star” which is a super caffeinated beverage that definitely gives you a noticeable energy boost.  However, what it also gives me is a guaranteed breakout. 

Once in a while, I’ll be able to get away with having a half a Red Bull or some other energy drink, and not breaking out, but in this case I actually was consuming a whole large Diet Rock Star every day (they’re way bigger than the Red Bulls, which my skin can handle because it’s in a smaller dose, but even that, my skin will sometimes flare up when I drink it).

In a nutshell, I was consuming a whole one a day, and three days later (don’t ask me why the effect seems to be delayed) my skin broke out allover the place.  You see, I’m convinced that it doesn’t matter if you’re on a supplement, or you’re using the best products in the world – sometimes dietary issues just make your skin break out, period. 

Maybe some people’s skin is immune to caffeine and other stimulants (they’re lucky!), but I for one am not, and I guess I have to bite the bullet and expect a breakout the next time I’m exhausted and have to work!  People with rosacea skin care problems should probably also avoid these high powered drinks as mentioned above, or they may trigger a flushing of the skin at inopportune moments.   

We have talked a little about another form of acne that is not as common as the all too familiar acne vulgaris, and that is the combination of acne and rosacea, another inflammatory skin disorder which causes overall redness and sometimes a bumpy texture to the skin as well. 

It’s called acne rosacea, and it is actually a little trickier to treat than just plain and simple acne or plain and simple rosacea, since these two are distinct in their treatments.  And therein is actually where the problem lies with treating acne rosacea. 

Since the treatment of acne can involve some ingredients that can be irritating externally to skin that has rosacea, sometimes one with both acne and rosacea must cautiously seek out specific skin care products for acne rosacea, so that they do not venture into territory that may be damaging or inflaming to their rosacea when they treat their acne, and vice versa, so they do not encourage acne when treating their rosacea. 

The treatment of acne rosacea should involve products that are very, very gentle, and preferably as natural as possible so the amount of possible chemical irritants is at a minumum, since chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide and other drying agents that are commonly used in the treatment of acne can actually make rosacea worse. 

There are also certain supplements that may be used to calm acne rosacea which can really calm the facial skin down.  For a list of products that offer supplements for rosacea and acne as well as gentle external treatments see Acne Rosacea Skin Care.

Acne and acne rosacea are both skin conditions that have an absolutely vital need for a gentle skin cleanser.  Those with acne and acne rosacea, or just rosacea, are not people who can just cleanse their face with their deodorant body soap, as many people still do. 

They should seek out a natural, pure and gentle cleanser that is as free of harsh detergents, drying types of alcohol, and irritants which are contained in many of the harsh chemicals used in commercial cleansers and bar-type soaps. 

The reason for this is that,especially with acne rosacea, when an irritating or drying cleanser is used that is not so gentle, it tends to dilate the capillaries in the face, causing even more of a red and irritated look to the skin, as well as making the face puff out in some cases in a defensive response to being inundated with harsh chemicals and other ingredients that the skin quite frankly doesn’t know how to defend itself against.

Some of the most soothing ingredients that can be found in cleansers for the face that would be suitable for both acne and acne rosacea would be herbal ingredients like chamomile and calendula, tea tree oil, and boswellia, to name a few.  There are tons more, but that would be too lengthy and quite frankly I don’t know nearly all of them to tell you a complete list!

These types of natural, non-harsh and skin soothing ingredients are what makes the difference between another blemish popping up due to sheer skin irritation or not.  They also create a smoother, more even skin tone, since the skin is not constantly over dried and irritated.  My advice would be, either seek out a natural acne rosacea cleanser, or acne cleanser online, or look for one in your local drugstore that contains a lot of natural ingredients. 

Acne rosacea is a combination of acne, that skin condition we all know and love (of course I say this with sarcasm), and rosacea, which is a skin condition that makes the skin look red and irritated quite often, and many times is accompanied by dryness and flaking, as well as inflamed capillaries. It sometimes can even extend to the eyes themselves, and make the eyes appear red, dry and inflamed, this is called ocular rosacea.

Acne rosacea is a combination of two of the most stubborn skin conditions we know : acne vulgaris and rosacea.  Acne, as we all know is basically an inflammation of various areas of the skin, which form bumps, pustules, whiteheads and blackheads, and basically peppers our face with “land mines”, which scab over and don’t look so attractive when they’re being treated.

Rosacea is also a skin disorder that has everything to do with inflammation, it’s just manifested in a slightly different way than it is with acne.  Acne has areas of inflammation, whereas rosacea inflames the skin in general “vicinities” of the skin such as the forehead and cheeks. 

When these two combine together in a person as one ugly, stubborn skin condition, it’s called “acne rosacea“, appropriately enough. 

Acne rosacea in asults is tough to treat, because on one hand you’ve got acne which needs to be dried out to be treated, and then you have rosacea, which only aggravates further from a lot of the typical, drying ingredients in acne products that are designed to zap zits.

The trick to treating acne rosacea can be summed up in one word : GENTLY.  More on acne rosacea and rosacea to come.